Don’t forget the OJ

Last week was extremely tight financially, so I tried my best to avoid the grocery store (I’m one of those shoppers who will drop in for a gallon of milk and come out with $40 worth of cereal, granola bars and fruit snacks “because they were on sale” – thus, my overstocked pantry).

So, when we ran out of orange juice – Anthony’s beverage of choice – at midweek, I resisted the pull of Harris Teeter and tried to satisfy Ant’s thirst with Crystal Light and chocolate milk. I let him drink juice boxes, which are usually reserved for school, the pool and long-distance car trips, and even split a Coke with him one afternoon at lunch.

It wasn’t flying.

“Have you gone to the grocery store yet?” he asked on morning two without OJ.

“No,” I replied. “I’ll go as soon as I get paid.”

Ant heaved a big sigh and shook his head.

Then, looking directly into my eyes, he said, “You’re not a very good mom.”

Ouch.

Needless to say, there’s now a large carafe of orange juice is our refrigerator. Because I wouldn’t want to have my parenting skills called into question again over something as simple as an absence of OJ.